Hi guys,my first post so here goes.ive noticed alot of recipes on here use mostly tpa flavourings and not so much capella or fw etc etc.can someone explain why?is it a cost thing or there just the same strength?im asking because im about to buy several or more flavourings and im keen to buy other brands just to build my flavours up. thanks in advance ps my flavour list is open take a look any advice would be appreciated.
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Welcome to the forum!
Thatâs a tough one to give a straight answer to. Each company has their own âgoodâ flavors and you shouldnât pick just 1 company over another. Capella has a lot of good flavors and they also have a lot of bad ones (IMO) Same goes with TFA.
This may help, not to toot my own hornâŚ
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Some folks are âmarriedâ to certain vendor flavors simply because they love the way a certain concentrate tastes. Here a list of favorites from folks here on ELR:
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Hey guys,thank you so much for the info,certainly given me food for thought about what i want to make and the companys to use.many many thanks once again.
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My 2 cents on the subject of flavor companies.
FA - concentrated (FA watermelon is the only exception Iâve found so far)
CAP - Is know for NY Cheesecake and bakery flavors
INW - concentrated, see fruits used most often
FW - not as strong , Known for their cereal flavors (they are cheaper so itâs a wash IMO)
Flavorah - expensive 50/50 chance you will like it
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I think the reason that you see more recipes with just tpa flavors is simply because they have SO many flavors. Someone correct me if Iâm wrong, but I think theyâre the largest flavor company out of the ones that we usually use. Cost is also definitely a factor since tpa is pretty inexpensive.
If youâre planning on expanding your flavor stash, I highly recommend flavourart (FA).
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For some of us it started out as a price thing. But as you mix more and more you will want to explore the differences that the other companies can bring to your existing mixes. I know I have exchanged FA or CAP for a few TFA flavors, the difference is amazing. Iâm finding that certain flavors play well together and certain ones donât. If I develop an idea and mix the first test batch only to find out it just isnât what I thought it would be I take a close look at the brands I have used. I do a melon balls mix that at first I used TPA Watermelon and TPA Honeydew. They didnât seem to compliment each other very well. I changed to CAP Sweet Watermelon and itâs a whole different experience.
You will also find out that using some of the same flavor from two different companies will bring out the best in each other. TPA Strawberry ripe and CAP Sweet Strawberry make a really good strawberry but alone each has it good points but just doesnât seem complete.
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This is because TFA generally costs less than other brands and has great quality in most of their concentrates. Not all of them are winners but a lot of them are.
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FA = Goooooood, Stronger.
TPA = Pretty Good, Not extremely strong.
Capella = Delicious but you use a lot of it.
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Hi bogey again,thanks for your 2 cents on my question.your saying what everyone else is,pick and choose my flavours from different vendors due to the fact that there all good just some are better at different flavours than others.once again many thanks il use your 2 cents quite alot me thinks.
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Hi vapeymama, thanks for your help on my question.i was beginning to think it had something to do with price and if there good then hey why not,i do have a soft spot for capella though or should i say did lol.in the past 24 hrs ive learnt so much about making your own juice,what i thought i knew i didnt and what i didnt know but now do has completely changed how im going to approach this venture.anyway once again thankyou.
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Hi gpc 2012,thanks for the reply,yeah im kinda getting that,tpa and tfa are good flavours but experimenting with other flavours your using but from different companys can take your juice from ok or good to wow lol hopefully.once again many thanks.
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Hi beaufort,thanks for your reply.lol i know im gonna end up with a load of there flavours but after all the advice ive been given i think il be able to choose wisely and save myself heartache and pain lol.many thanks once again.
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Hey maureeenie,thanks for your reply.pretty concise and to the point,i like that.il definately be using your advice in the near future.many thanks once again.
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Welcome to the fun!
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Excellent advice above (as expected) 
Congrats on quitting tobacco, and your new hobby, and lastly, welcome to the rabbit hole! It runs as deep as you want it to!
One thing you may not be aware of is that that thereâs kind of a âglitchâ that exists in terminology, due to history, and industry accomodating the shift.
TPA = The Perfumerâs Apprentice.
TFA = The Flavorerâs Apprentice.
Two seperate divisions (for some time now) of the same parent company. As youâll notice, both are listed on the same site: perfumersapprentice.com
When you see TPA in the recipe section, itâs because (and someone can correct me if any section of my history is wrong here) it all started out with only TPA in existence. And folks started using their âflavoringsâ in vaping, when they were originally intended for the food, perfume, and also the essential oils industries. But vaping and DIY was created by the old âNecessity is the mother of inventionâ bitâŚso, folks had to be creative, and use what was available.
So there MAY BE components in certain TPA products, that are not found in the current TFA versions (since theyâre distinctly different intended uses) and are not safe for vaping; ie: anything with âoilsâ in them, lemon oil, grapeseed oil, etc, etc.
Anyways, when you are shopping at most resellers, theyâre typically listed as TFA. But when it comes time to try and find them in the recipe database on ELR, you may see many listed as TPA.
The reason I bring all this up, is not only so that you can understand the reasoning behind the âinaccuracyâ or inconsistency, but so that IF you happen to at some point go direct to the manufacturer, and purchase, you know the difference, and understand that you want to be on the TFA side of the website!
For example:
Peach (Natural) w/o Acetaldehyde from TPA sounds like it could be a variation of the popular vaping flavor: Peach (Juicy) Flavor except for the very important mention of âFRAGRANCEâ in the (Natural) listing. Now this might not be the ideal example, but hopefully you get my intended point.
One of the things that I desperately hope for is that ELR will come to the concensus that itâs in the best interest of new users that some of the old âleftover acronymsâ (TPA/TFA being the most prominent example of course) should be updated to âcurrent standardsâ.
As the older crowd (ahem more experienced veteran mixers) already know and understand the difference, because they lived through the transition.
Most new mixers arenât going to be interested enough to look up all the history (and reading) that it takes to understand some of the important details, and appreciate how far things have come! Besides which, they have a more pressing agenda of stopping smoking that needs to be tended to. So understandably, the history can come later in most cases. But I feel this oneâs worth mentioning (obviously).
AnywaysâŚhope this helps some new folks have a clearer picture, and sorry for the novel.
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You learn something new everyday, thanks!
Edit: and I didnât have to pay for itâŚ
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Lol. Even though Iâm very much still a greenhorn paying his mixing dues, one thing I almost always do (or try to at least) is my homework on things. especially life-changing things.
I only wish I wasnât such a dumbass all those years ago when I first tried smoking. But, when youâre young and full of that âBS ideologyâ of Iâm young⌠I wonât have to worry about that for a long timeâŚand suddenly you find that much more time has passed than you ever realized⌠Well. sigh It is what it is.
Speaking of whichâŚ
watches the shot over the bow in the distance and chuckles
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Thatâs one of my biggest regrets, like you say though, young and stupid, they seem to go hand in hand, we know itâs bad but because we donât feel any ill effects at the time itâs nothing.
I had my first child at 19 so I had to grow up quick, itâs amazing how a child can change your perspective on life so drastically
âThe shot over the bowâ - hmm
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a very hard question when i first started diy i went to capella and tpa website and went down the list and just started ordering at things i think sounded good and today i have still not opened a few lol i think tpa is used most because they are the biggest and have a lot of what i consider staple flavors and they are cheap capella is a little more expensive not much but they also have staple products andbthe crazy thing is for me i have to have cap and tpa vbic and both sweet creams and mm lol between both companies its a toss up but you have to have both and you have to have some of fa , fw , ann inawera and loranns and flavorah etc loom there are no rights and wrongs and every company does something well so set a budget for your flavors each month and just have fun i think it would be alot easier if someone came and asked what they shouldnt buy instead of what they should again its all personal preference i suggest buying in10ml bottles if you can until yiu figure out what your going to continue to use then start buying bigger bottles
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